target.species
Redfish
Sciaenops ocellatus
Shallow, tailing, and hard-charging. Sight-fishing a red in a foot of water is as close as inshore gets to hunting.
Tolerances
Every field the compatibility engine reads for this species, with what the number actually controls. Change any component outside these windows in the studio and it raises a diagnostic against the value on this page.
| Field | Value | What it controls |
|---|---|---|
| weightLb | 3 – 25 lb | Typical caught weight, not the record. Sets how much the hook, knot, and drag actually have to hold on a normal day. |
| lineLb | 15 – 40 lb | Sane mainline test window. Under the low number you get broken off; over the high number you are paying in diameter, casting distance, and bites. |
| hookSize | 2/0 – 6/0 | Printed hook-size window on the unified scale. Matched to mouth and bait size; an oversized hook is the most common reason a fish never gets pinned. |
| leaderLb | 20 – 40 lb | Leader test window. Usually at or above mainline test, because the leader is the part that meets teeth, rock, and gill plates. |
| lineShy | 0.55 | How much a visible line costs you in bites, 0 to 1. Above roughly 0.6, a low-visibility fluorocarbon leader stops being optional in clear water. |
| abrasion | 0.80 | Teeth and habitat wear, 0 to 1. Above roughly 0.85 you are into wire-leader territory; in the middle you go heavier fluoro and check your last three feet after every fish. |
| minDragLb | 10 lb | The drag floor. A reel that cannot apply this much without stalling will get spooled or will pop the knot on the surge; the builder flags any reel under it. |
| depthBias | 0.85 | 0 is surface, 1 is hard bottom. Drives how much weight you need and whether a float, a bottom rig, or a topwater is the honest presentation. |
| structure | open, weeds, reef | Where the fish holds. Structure is what actually cuts you off, so it drives leader material as much as the fish itself does. |
| water | salt, brackish | Saltwater species: every metal component in the build must be corrosion-rated or it is consumable. |
Hook size for Redfish
2/0 to 6/0, with wire rated to at least 30 lb and a salt rating. Those are the two numbers the studio checks a hook against for this fish.
- hook-small · hook-large
- Below 2/0 the gap is too narrow to clear the jaw and the fish comes off. Above 6/0 it will not fit the mouth and drags a small bait down. Either raises a warning with a fix to the nearest edge.
- hook-wire-light
- A hook rated under 30 lb (1.2× a 25 lb top weight) gets flagged: once the fish turns, leverage at the point exceeds its weight.
catalogClears both checks: Eagle Claw Lazer Sharp Circle Sea 2/0 to 6/0, Mustad O'Shaughnessy Siwash 2/0 to 6/0, Mustad Demon Perfect Circle 2/0 to 6/0, Owner Mutu Light Circle 2/0 to 6/0. In range but flagged: Jungle Flippin' Hook (not salt-rated); Superline EWG Worm Hook (not salt-rated).
Redfish against all the other species on the hook size chart →How hook sizes work →
Line for Redfish
15–40 lb mainline, 20–40 lb leader. Pound test is breaking strain, not thickness. 40 lb Daiwa braid measures 0.28 mm; 15 lb Berkley mono measures 0.38 mm.
- line-light-species · line-heavy-species
- Under 15 lb every snag and headshake becomes a coin flip. Over 60 lb (1.5× the top) you are paying in casting distance and visibility for strength this fish never tests.
- no-leader-abrasion
- A leader is expected: Redfish rates 0.80 for abrasion (teeth, gill plates or structure) and no leader warns from 0.6. Run 20–40 lb.
- drag-floor · reel-capacity
- At least 10 lb of drag and 200 yards of line at your line's real diameter, for a fish to 25 lb.
our rigs17 lb copolymer (Stren) to 20 lb fluorocarbon on Open Surf Beach, Inshore Flat, Mangrove Estuary, Jetty & Pier.
Redfish against all the other species on the line chart →Braid to mono diameter chart →
Rigs for Redfish
The named rigs anglers tie for Redfish, each built by our solver under that rig's rules and graded by the engine. Sizes are for the water where the rig scored best. Every rig is compared on the fishing rigs page.
Field notes
The parts that do not fit in a table. These are the judgement calls that decide whether the numbers above turn into fish.
Crushers in the throat, plus oyster bar structure, means 30–40 lb fluoro leader on 20 lb braid is the standard build.
Bottom-oriented feeders; they tail because their mouth points down. Present on or near the bottom.
Shallow clear water makes them spooky. Long leader, quiet approach, and no heavy weight slapping down.
Recommended components
Nothing below is hand-picked. Each stage is scored by matching the item's own published spec against this species' tolerances: hook size overlap, line tests inside the window, drag headroom, rod line rating. Anything that fails a hard check is dropped rather than softened.
Mustad Demon Perfect Circle
A true circle: the point turns fully perpendicular to the shank, so it slides to the jaw hinge and sets itself when the fish turns.
tradeoff You must not swing. Reel down steadily and let it load. Every fish you miss on a circle hook, you missed by setting the hook.
Verified destination: Demon 39944 inline · 1/0 · 8 pack (2026-10-20). Other sizes or packs are not verified by this link.
fitSizes #1–10/0 cover 2/0 to 6/0 of the window. Rated 90 lb before the wire opens, 1.20× standard gauge.
Eagle Claw Lazer Sharp Circle Sea
The cheapest way to fish circle hooks correctly. Corner-of-the-mouth hookups, minimal gut-hooking, and priced so you re-tie without flinching.
tradeoff Point quality varies pack to pack and the finish is not fully offshore-grade. Fine inshore and in freshwater; check each one.
fitSizes #2–9/0 cover 2/0 to 6/0 of the window. Rated 70 lb before the wire opens, 1.10× standard gauge.
Seaguar InvizX Fluorocarbon
Fluorocarbon soft enough to fill a whole spool with. Sinks, hides, and gives you fluoro properties without needing a leader knot at all.
tradeoff Fluoro has memory and does not love spinning reels; it wants to jump off the spool. Baitcasters handle it far better.
Verified destination: 10 lb / 200 yd · clear (2026-10-20). Other sizes or packs are not verified by this link.
fitSpooled in 15, 17, 20, 25 lb inside the 15–40 lb window. fluoro, 0.405 mm at 20 lb, visibility 0.08.
Berkley Vanish Fluorocarbon
The affordable way to try fluorocarbon as a mainline. Sinks and hides well enough to notice the difference on clear-water spinning gear.
tradeoff Stiffer and more memory-prone than premium fluoro. It will spring off a spinning spool in cold weather.
Verified destination: 17 lb / 250 yd · clear Vanish (2026-10-20). Other sizes or packs are not verified by this link.
fitSpooled in 15, 17, 20, 25, 30 lb inside the 15–40 lb window. fluoro, 0.42 mm at 20 lb, visibility 0.12.
Seaguar Blue Label Fluorocarbon Leader
The benchmark fluoro leader. Refractive index close to water, so it effectively disappears, and it takes abrasion far better than mono at the same test.
tradeoff Expensive per yard and stiff at heavy tests: 60 lb Blue Label does not want to knot easily. Warm it in your hands and wet every knot.
Verified destination: 30 lb / 25 yd / Clear (2026-10-20). Other sizes or packs are not verified by this link.
fitfluoro in 20, 25, 30, 40 lb across the 20–40 lb leader window. Abrasion 0.85, visibility 0.08.
Yo-Zuri HD Carbon Fluorocarbon Leader
Noticeably cheaper fluoro that still hides well and knots more easily than the premium stuff because it runs a touch softer.
tradeoff Slightly thicker per test and a little less abrasion-resistant. On oyster bar and barnacle structure, spend up.
Verified destination: 80 lb / 30 yd HD Carbon (2026-10-20). Other sizes or packs are not verified by this link.
fitfluoro in 20, 30, 40 lb across the 20–40 lb leader window. Abrasion 0.75, visibility 0.12.
Shimano Stradic FM Spinning Reel
Where "nice reel" starts. Cold-forged gearing, a genuinely sealed body, and a drag that stays linear from the first inch to the hundredth yard.
tradeoff Three times a President for maybe 30% more reel. The difference shows up on day two hundred, not day one.
Verified destination: Stradic FM 4000 (2026-10-21). Other sizes or packs are not verified by this link.
fit24 lb max drag against a 10 lb floor, holds 250 yd of 30 lb braid. spinning, size 4000, salt-rated.
Penn Battle IV Spinning Reel
A full-metal, sealed-drag saltwater workhorse. Heavier than a freshwater reel because it is built to be dunked, sanded, and used again tomorrow.
tradeoff Weight. A 5000 Battle on a light rod is genuinely tiring: you are carrying corrosion resistance in your wrist all day.
Verified destination: Battle IV / size 5000 (2026-10-20). Other sizes or packs are not verified by this link.
fit25 lb max drag against a 10 lb floor, holds 200 yd of 15 lb mono. spinning, size 5000, salt-rated.
Penn Prevail III Surf Rod
Ten feet of graphite composite built to throw four ounces of lead and bait over the breakers and then stand in a sand spike all night.
tradeoff You cannot fish this from a kayak, a small boat, or a tree-lined creek. It is a beach rod and nothing else.
Verified destination: Prevail III 10' Medium-heavy 2 pc (2026-10-21). Other sizes or packs are not verified by this link.
fitRated 15–40 lb, overlapping this fish at 15–40 lb. 10 ft, MH power, moderate action, 1–4 oz.
Ugly Stik GX2 Spinning Rod
Effectively indestructible. A graphite-fiberglass blend that shrugs off car doors, tailgates, and everything a beginner will do to it.
tradeoff Heavy and not remotely sensitive. You will feel a bite when a fish is already leaving with the bait.
Verified destination: GX2 6'6" Medium 2 pc (2026-10-21). Other sizes or packs are not verified by this link.
fitRated 8–20 lb, overlapping this fish at 15–20 lb. 6.6 ft, M power, moderate action, 0.25–0.625 oz.
Complete builds for Redfish
Worked examples with every slot filled, a parts list, and an approximate total.
Redfish rigs by water
A complete rig for each place Redfish is actually targeted, built by our solver from the catalog and checked by the same engine as the studio. Each page shows every check with the numbers.
Redfish rig for Open Surf Beach
Redfish rig for Inshore Flat
Redfish rig for Mangrove Estuary
Redfish rig for Jetty & Pier
Where you will find them
Venues that match this species' water type. Each one loads the studio with the pairing already set, so depth, current, and corrosion rules are applied before you pick a single part.
Open Surf Beach
Breaking waves and sweeping longshore current. Pyramid weights, long rods, and everything corroding as you stand there.
Inshore Flat
Skinny, clear, and spooky. Long leaders, quiet entries, and the lightest weight that still gets down.
Mangrove Estuary
Tidal, snaggy, and full of structure that eats leaders. Fish get pulled away from cover or they win.
Jetty & Pier
Barnacle-covered rock in moving water. The single most abrasive environment in this list; assume the structure is trying to cut you off.
Nearshore Reef
Structure under real depth. Getting down fast matters, and everything you hook immediately runs for a hole.
Offshore Bluewater
Miles out, deep, and unforgiving. The vessel is now the most safety-critical item in the entire build.
Venue profiles, with what each water does to a rig: Open Surf Beach, Inshore Flat, Mangrove Estuary, Jetty & Pier, Nearshore Reef, Offshore Bluewater.
Load Redfish as the target and the builder re-runs every check on this page live: hook window, line test, leader material, drag floor, as you swap parts.
Open the Rig Studio